Straight Until Morning
by Popkat
Summary: AU. So, what if Seki Ray Shiroe DIDN'T die?
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"Straight until morning..," he whispered, barely getting the words out. He was exhausted; after the psychological attack he received, the barely conscious effort of performing a space warp to save himself from Keith's missile was incredibly draining. "Ship 047 to Neverland. This is a recorded message. Peter... please save me... and bring me... home, to Terra." He removed his finger from the recording button, hoping Peter Pan would receive his message and actually save him. He was all that was left for him. He couldn't go back home.

He was afraid. He didn't want his efforts to be useless, nor did he want to wander in space until he spent all of his resources, doomed to die of starvation or, if destiny was crueler than he anticipated, crash into a meteor. It was too early for him to give up, too early for him to die.

He closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

**A/N**: I am writing this for a friend. Don't tell her, this is a surprise.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Keith landed his ship on E-1077 preoccupied by his thoughts. He couldn't make out what he was feeling. He was disappointed by himself for failing his mission, but some part of him was incredibly relieved because somewhere, Shiroe was still alive, albeit wandering aimlessly in space in the worst possible mental and physical health. He hated that relieved part of him; obedient soldiers weren't supposed to feel that way.

"What is bothering you, Keith? Have you accomplished your mission?" Mother Eliza's cold voice asked. Keith wasn't able to look at her in the eye. She was a computer, but an authority figure as well. He failed a superior, and that guilt overwhelmed him. "Keith?"

"I... was not able to dispose of Seki Ray Shiroe, Mother Eliza," Keith reported. The thought of lying had never occurred to him. Mother Eliza fell silent. Her programming assumed that his success was already a given, so setting up data for the alternative seemed pointless, but there it was. Luckily, she was incapable of disappointment.

"I see. You should rest, Keith."

* * *

Jomy Marquis Shin was fidgeting more than usual. A couple of days passed since they sent a message to a Terran station near them, so he was waiting for a reply. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep; he just waited, staring at outer space as if he would spot something other than the dull sight of stars and planets.

"_Soldier_?" Leo's telepathic message said. Jomy glanced, but he immediately returned his gaze at the stars, as if he would miss a convoy or even a ship that wanted to negotiate with them if he ever dared to turn his head away from the ceiling for even a second. Everyone in the entire ship was skeptical, but Jomy didn't falter. In times like these, one only had the option of hoping, so that was what he did. He hoped.

"Yes, Leo?"

"You haven't been eating."

"How can I eat? I'm so excited."

For a moment, Leo felt a strong sympathy towards their naive leader. Although he was only a couple of years older than him, he felt their age gap was wider. Leo aged just like everybody else, but Jomy had, and always will have, the passionate eyes of a fourteen year old. His seemingly endless capacity to believe in the goodness of humanity was a trait that distinguished Jomy from the rest.

"You think I'm ridiculous, don't you?" Jomy asked. He did his best to sound like his cheerful self, but Leo saw through the lie immediately. Behind the happy mask was sadness.

"That depends. What are you talking about?"

"Me, believing. You don't think I'll get a reply."

"I don't think it's ridiculous at all, but I don't believe you'll receive a reply.

"What's the difference?"

"By refusing to think it's ridiculous, I am respecting your choice to hope. However, I, myself, do not want to believe this miracle, because while it's not _impossible_, it's highly _improbable_; you only have a one in a million chance of getting a reply."

Jomy scowled. Leo turned his gaze at the familiar sea of never ending stars.

"One..," the mute began, "...can only afford to believe in a few miracles in his lifetime, sadly.

"When Soldier Blue brought up the topic of an heir, he told us he wanted someone with the powerful psyche of a Mu and the body of a strong human. The Elders did some math, and they found out that only one in five billion Mu children turn into a Type Blue, and only one in five billion human children turn strong like you. Basically, he wanted a one in ten billion golden boy. He wanted a miracle."

Jomy resisted the urge to laugh at Leo's false statistics, but he allowed him to continue.

"Everyone was skeptical, of course... but then he found you, and you know, I think Soldier Blue, Lady Physis and I would all be able to agree that you were better than we expected.

"I may not believe that you would be able to get a reply, but I believe in you and Soldier Blue, and I believe you will be able to bring us all... to Terra."

Jomy smiled. He didn't like being called a one in ten billion golden boy because he wasn't. He was worth as much as anyone in the ship, perhaps even less. He was just a fluke, a glitch in the system. Still, Leo's speech did cheer him up. He smiled at his friend.

"Thanks, Leo."

"You're welcome, Jomy. Now, should I get you some food?"

"That won't be..," Jomy trailed off. He sensed something heading towards Shangri-La. He saw an unfamiliar glint show up near the stars, one that appeared out of nowhere. He used his telepathy to contact whatever it was... a ship, it was a ship!

"Soldier?"

He started hearing static, but then the recording started: "Ship 047—_bzzt_—land—_bzzt_—recorded message—_bzzt_—please—_bzzt_—bring to—_bzzt_—Terra." Jomy opened his eyes; a wide, enthusiastic smile graced his features. He was happy, and Leo could tell because of the sudden, light atmosphere around the entire room.

"Leo! Leo! It's a ship, and it wants to take us to Terra! Haha, I'm so glad! I need to tell everyone!"

He grabbed Leo by the collar, kissed him in both cheeks, and ran.

* * *

"Captain!" Jomy screamed as he entered the bridge. Zel made a negative remark about him being there, but it just flew over Jomy's head. Harley was intrigued by their leader's unusually happy mood.

"Yes, Soldier?"

"They're here! The people from Terra! They want to bring us there. The ship is 047; it's currently located next to the Newton II star and it's moving towards this ship. Quickly, put it in the main screen!"

Oeai did what he ordered. Upon seeing the ship, the crew was shocked. He was right; it was a Terran ship, blissfully unaware that it was from an education station. The elders cheered, feeling, for the first time, that their new Soldier was good for something, after all.

"Make preparations and pull the ship here!"


End file.
